News Update for 6/22/21

One person was killed and another was injured last night when a limosine and a semi tractor-trailer rig collided at the intersection of Highway 27 and Alternate 27 in Sebring, in front of the Village Inn Restaurant.
The busy roadway was closed for several hours while Sebring police completed their investigation. They have not yet released any names or other details on how the accident occurred.

Police in Lake Wales now say one of the victims in that Sunday shooting incident was a Bradenton resident. Officers responding to citizen complaints found the body of the 42-year-old man in the back of a pickup truck.
A second victim, a 28-year-old Lake Wales man reportedly was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle. Police believe he was hit by a stray bullet. The indicent happened during large outdoor party this past Sunday night on “D” Street.

Highlands County Tourist Development officials are reporting their tax collection from tourists is showing an uptick. In fact, on average, they are taking more money in from visituors than they were before the coronavirus hit.
Numbers from the 2018-2019 season came in at over $644,000 while the 2020-2021 tax collection from out-of-towners topped $653,000. Part of the credit apparently goes to the re-scheduled 12 Hours of Sebring which came in the fall of 2020.
Tourism officials say they are thrilled with the report and expect subsequent tax collection numbers to show continued increases.

Maybe they need a different realtor. Sebring city officials say they have recieved no nibbles on buying the city hall building. The council has considered moving city hall downtown to the old Wachovia Bank building. However, there’s been little interest in the complex that involves city hall, the bridge club building, two parking lots and a tennis court.
Earlier this year, Highlands County commissioners took a look at the property for additional parking, but took a pass on the deal.

Good news, Sam is hack home. Diana Williams lost her elderly black Labrador Retriever nearly three months ago. The Sebring woman spent thousands of dollars and conducted a relentless search to find her pet.
She was able to get the skittish animal back using a wildlife trap. Apparently, she was able to track him in the Lake Jackson area and snared him within a few miles of home.
During the course of his 51-day trek, Williams said she had many sightings of Sam but finally now has been able to get him back to the house.